BREED TYPE 71 



beginner is asked to participate in a comparison show, he is being 

 asked to read before he can spell; he is being asked to sum up the 

 value of the whole bird before he is acquainted with the parts that 

 make the whole. Comparison judging is the quickest and most 

 accurate means of placing prizes; but the analytical value of the 

 score card makes of the exhibition a far better schoolroom for 

 beginners. 



As ground work for a liberal understanding of what constitutes 

 a good specimen, let us discuss the sections one by one. We shall 

 consider the three breeds. Rocks, Wyandottes and Reds together, 

 for how are we to know what "medium" means in the Rock, unless 

 we see and understand what "short" means in the Wyandotte and 

 "long" means in the Rhode Island Red? 



Explanation of the different sections. Back: The back is the 

 one section which gives the greatest distinction to a bird or a breed. 

 In the Plymouth Rock the back should be of medium length. The 

 tendency among prominent breeders is to produce backs that are 

 longer rather than shorter of medium. This is particularly noticeable 

 in the best males. 



The back of the Rock should be carried horizontal. A back that 

 slopes down to the tail, like a shed roof, throws up the breast and 

 throws down the tail and spoils the typical carriage of the specimen. 

 The back should be broad at the shoulders and the breadth should 

 be carried back all the way to the tail. Sometimes the long feathers 

 that grow out of the sides of the back are bent and broken back- 

 wards or steamed up, so as to give apparent width to the back. 

 However, the true proportions may be determined by taking the 

 bird in the hands and feeling the width across the hips. The plumage 

 on top of the back, near the tail, should be full enough to make a 

 slight concave sweep of back to tail. 



In the Wyandotte, the plumage of the back is more roundly 

 developed. The male's saddle should be broad and rise with a full 

 development to tail. The female's back should likewise have a full 

 feather development and the plumage at the rear of the back which 

 forms the cushion, should present a somewhat rounded appearance. 

 Observe the backs of Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes as shown 

 in the illustrations in this book, for these pictures present typical 

 birds. 



The standard Wyandotte back is shorter than the Plymouth Rock 

 back, and the slightly convexed cushion adds to the apparent short- 

 ness of the Wyandotte back. In Rhode Island Reds the back is 

 long. The Plymouth Rock is medium, the Wyandotte moderately 

 short, the Red long. The back of the Red should be level, flat its 

 entire length, with only a minor sweep to tail to overcome the crude 

 form of a tail sticking out of the back and the two sections not 

 blending together with spnie hc^rmony. 



